Don't disturb the water
by JollyCooperation
Summary: Yaoi, SasuNaru, horror, AU. Naruto's grandmother is failing in mental health, thus he and Iruka travel to her 18th-century plantation home to visit. Upon arrival, his grandmother uttered four words: "Don't disturb the water." What lies in wait beneath? Still Updating.
1. Prologue

_**Authors Note**_

_I am actually looking foreward to somthing for once in my life. Usually things are boring. Nothing to look foreward to. But this fic...I feel so happy when I'm writing it. I knew I loved drawing horror pieces, but writing, well, it's equally enticing. It gets so addictive. Added that I love depicting horror in general, being a retired macabre artist (well, semi-retired, I'm only 17, I couldn't have done anything for to long.) __I also adore yaoi yeeeesh.\_

_**WARNING fanfic contains SasuNaru in later chapters.** _

_Yeah, flame me if you want to. I'm not a whiney person, I'm also not easily offended by words on a monitor in front of my face. Online I may come across as very mellow, because in truth, I'm looking at a screen, with text on a screen. Not your face. Thus I see no reason to retaliate. If someday, I do meet you, we would most likly not get along, but thats fine. We won't. Lucky you._

_I really just don't care. In fact, if it does make you feel better, insult me. _

_whatever. If you do, I'm not going to block you, or even answer back. You will most likley the same response as if you try talking to me out of the blue like we are old pals and I don't even know you...yeah...kinda creeps me out when people do that._

_NOTE: that thing on my profile? about the mysterious thing? wonder why I put that? It is sarcasm. effin simple as that._

**_Prologue_**

Running. Mindless, running, running so fast that he felt his sides would split. Running away in a dark and putrid fear that welled up within his chest. Running along a path in this black forest with only the moon to provide sight. Though even though the pearl coloured light, he could see nothing. Not the glistening black forest on either side, not the puddles left from the rain. This was a fear that blinded him, it was not adrenaline that kept him going now, it was this wicked mechanical instinct to stay alive. Just to stay alive. It did not matter that he could possibly be infected, doomed to be a killer, he just needed to exist, to flee. Existence was all that mattered. Instinct of the prey. The hunted. Looking over his shoulder he saw what he was running from and made an abrupt about face in an attempt to double back, perhaps to catch his predator by surprise. This proved futile, as the warping limbs and grotesque figure of the mass behind him seemed to have split into multiple groups of daemons that raced directly behind him. His ears began to bleed as he raced through the dark forest, the screams of creatures, neither human nor animal were intolerable. These powerful wails, screeches that could only be produced by the damned, were not only a cry of attack. These were screams of beings enduring intense agony. The screams reverberated within his ears, each were horrid two toned wails that left a ringing echo across the forest.

These were the beings of the plague. The plague that had been spread to his village by those who hailed from the hills. It was a disease that changed the mind and body, one out of fifty would recover, only slightly changed, but most would warp into beings of terrible power. The power was not a blessing, more a curse, these people would kill and devour other humans, becoming cannibals.

At first a fever would strike the afflicted, and they would be confined to their beds, suffering delirium and fatigue. Slowly they would lose their memory and eye sight, forgetting their loved ones and friends, and their eyes would begin to rot away. The ill needed food to survive, but it appeared that after a while they wanted none of what was given. Human food no longer satiated their hunger, they craved for human blood. At this stage the ill would posses cracking enamel on their canines and new teeth would force their way out…in only a day or two. They now possessed a full desire for flesh. After a few weeks they hardly even looked human anymore. Though at first they had some self control, as soon as one month into the illness passed, they killed those who tended them in their sick beds. The infected would have been weak up until this point, only able to move a little and barley able to breath. However, with the increasing number of people they devoured, the stronger and more demonic they became.

These creatures that pursued him, these were the cursed ones. The children of the plague. The boy looked back and suppressed a gag within his throat.

Their appearance was one that would send anyone into pure revulsion. Empty staring eye sockets roved the forest, their 'eyes' were not present though they seemed to see. Jaws, dripping with blood, clicked and ground teeth together, the blood did not belong to the prey. The creatures had once been human, meaning that they had once been put together by human bones and muscles. Now they had grown, through this horrid curse they had increased in power considerably; but at a price. Their bodies could not cope. Their mouths were to small for the huge fangs, so the teeth cut through flesh and pierced bone in their jaws and skulls; their skin was not able to stretch over their massive bodies, tearing and splitting all over, it bled profusely; muscles that had expanded so much that they began to warp the bones, giving way to twisted limbs and exposed marrow as the bones began to splinter; these horrid beasts had once been people but after they caught the disease, it sent them to hell. Fur covered the areas which still had skin, showing that they were almost becoming animals…no…demons. These creatures were in so much pain that they tore everything apart in their path, including people, these beings fed regularly on human flesh. These things no longer even recalled what it meant to be human.

In his terror, the boy shoved branches out from in front of him, and jumped over the roots that could drag him to the ground. The branches and rocks cut his arms, legs, and feet, but the boy didn't care. Let alone even feel it. In the crevasses of his mind, however, his human mind, not the mind of prey, he knew he was tiring and hurt. That would not do, one less ounce of speed and those hellions would catch up and devour him. He tried to think over the incessant wails and blood pounding in his ears. Moving his dark eyes around in desperation at the path ahead, the boy came up with a plan. Putting on a final burst of speed, the boy rounded a corner on the path way, allowing him temporary evasion of their roving 'eyes'. Now was his chance. He made a sharp right, left foot sliding on damp leaves almost sending him sprawling, but the boy remained steady in his terror and proceeded to run into the deeper part of the forest.

The things overshot the location, unable to find their prey. The bleeding daemons continued in their stampede down the forest path, melancholy cries drifting through the night air.

Ducking through the leaves, the boy promptly sat on the cold ground in a shallow grove, safe, but only for now. Brushing his black tresses from in front of his eyes, he lifted his head and looked around, a human for the first time in hours. Fear, no longer present, had disbanded with the hunters. The boy curled up, his body sore and covered in cuts from brambles. His whole body shivered with exhaustion. He was so tired, and so afraid. He did not want to think of what happened to his parents. He could not imagine what had become of his family, his friends, his beloved dog…Was he the only one that survived? Could he have caught the disease…? Those things, they carried the plague, those who had it were sentenced to death as soon as found to be infected, the village elders understood that the disease could be spread through the simplest of means. This illness could be spread by air, physical contact, and fluid transfusion. Man people caught it and were killed upon knowledge. He did not want to return to the village, perhaps more children of the plague lurked there, but he could not stay here, those things would surely find and kill him.

:3

_to be continued..._


	2. Chapter I Part I

**Author's Note**

That whole ficas thing, that's actually based on a story that has been a family controversy in my home for years. My Dad bought a tree, which actually wasn't a ficas, yeah that part came from my mind…anyway, he named it, and let it live in the house. Well, my Mum hated it because it was ugly as crap…and 'lo one day she trimmed it, and it died.

My Dad believes that she did it on purpose, and of course she denied the accusation. However, my Dad knew she thought it was ugly…and thus, over a decade later, they still have arguments over who killed my Dad's favorite house plant. - -' yeah…I'm gonna let you read now.

I use the word trimmed, she actually chopped the top off. My dad says she 'brutally decapitated it'…

Let my writings begin!

Indeed. This is chapter one of my story. Enjoy.

**EDIT: Surprise! I DO UPDATE! :3**

**Warnings**: cartoon violence? lawl.

_cartoon violence_ is an actual rating :3...on tv anyway.

**Ch. I PART I**

Rain pounded on the wind-shield mercilessly, the wind-shield wipers wearily cut through the water like blades. Whenever a path was cleared, more rain seemed to melt the cut and blur all vision almost instantly. It was hard to see anything out in the rain apart from the lines on the road.

Wind whisled from Naruto's passenger door on the sedan. The lining was coming off the door, not enough for water to get in, but enough to be a pain. Being in that car was noisy enough, but now that there was a storm roaring away, it was fifty times worse. Naruto listened to the booming of thunder and the shrieking wind, wishing he could be just about anywhere besides in that little grey sedan. He looked out the window, barely able to see, it was bad enough that it was storming. It didn't help that night had almost fallen; well, the clouds were so thick, it might as well have been night anyway.

"Goddamn storm. I can't see anything!" Iruka was struggling to keep the car on the interstate, the lines were hard to see, and the wind kept hitting the side of the car like a ton of bricks.

Between the Georgia and Alabama border, a wicked tropical depression had rolled inland, Iruka and Naruto were currently in the middle of it.

Naruto grunted, trying to find a comfy place to lay his head. Unfortuanantly, car doors are not very comfortable. Giving up, Naruto leaned forward and played with the glowing green buttons on the dash board.

"Damn!" All he could get on FM was static.

"What is it now, Naruto?" Iruka was mildly annoyed, he couldn't afford another problem with the radiator. "Is the engine light on?"

"No. It's fine."

"Then what is it?"

"There arn't any stations coming through."

"Well, I'm not surprised, this storm is somthing else, we've got way more to worry about than the radio, Naruto. I'm only going 45, and it's still is almost impossible to keep going." Iruka flipped the button on the gear shift to turn his brights on. Light flooded the black river of a road ahead.

"Besides, even at this speed, we'll reach your Grandmother's place within the hour." He grimmaced. "Well, as long as we don't get totally lost in this weather." Iruka finished speaking. Naruto hadn't responded at all. Probabley sulking about the radio.

He glanced at Naruto. Yes, that bottom lip was out just like a five-year-old's. Only Naruto could pull that off.

"You call her Gramma, right?"

"Psh, yeah, when I was like, seven."

"Okay, well what will you call her now?"

"I dunno. Same thing?"

"You really are pissed at me, arn't you?"

"Not really."

"You know" Iruka began, "I don't particularly like riding in this pile of gray tin for hours eith...psh."he ended this with a sigh. Naruto had turned to look out the window. Iruka could have scolded or pestered the teen, but he decided against it. What would it acheive? The boy was worried, and at the same time being dragged to a mad woman's house. Iruka just let him be.

Naruto sighed as well. He didn't feel like arguing, either.

It really wasn't that he didn't like his Grandmother, it was just that, well, she was a little…different. She had never really showed Naruto the kind of affection grandmother's usually bestowed upon their grandchildren. It wasn't just that, really, he loved her almost like someone he could hang out with. He had always loved spending time with her and all, but that was years ago. Before the _incident._

Naruto seemed to have had an air of destruction around him that destroyed things that she was fond of. He couldn't really help it, Naruto didn't _mean _to be a home wrecker. He was just not a good child to have around before the age of twelve. That is, if you had anything precious to you.

Thinking back, Naruto realized it had been over a dozen years ago since he'd seen his Grandmother, whom since then, had deteriorated in health mentally and physically rather dramatically.

Her doctor only recently sent the invitation through the mail for them to come.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember the incident.

--

_Naruto ran happily up and down the stairs pretending to be a super hero, he was making what he thought to be fitting sound effects to complete the image. "Brrrrrrvrooom!" he crowed "Psheewoooooooooo!" He slid down the banister and landed Spiderman style. Naruto was visiting his Grandmother for the weekend, it was his last evening there. He wanted to make sure all the villans were gone before he went home._

_Naruto was currently in an epic battle with his grandmother's giant door mat. It had floral patterns on it, and it was red with white flowers. Naruto could turn it into a giant mouth if he used his imagination._

_This new foe of Spiderman's was a living pit in the Earth that ate gigantic apples. Those teeth could grind his bones into dust, but that was not the threat. It was plaguing New York by eating what he thought to be the big apple, which in the mind of Naruto grew on a tree in central park._

_He carefully stepped over the teeth and jumped, catlike, in front of the 'mouth'. "I'm going to seal that mouth of your's and save New York City's big apple!" he crowed. Naruto then flung out his palms, imagining web flying from the cans in his hands. In stead of web, however, bathroom sanitizer flew out, filling his nostrils with noxious amounts of lavender._

_Tears forming in his eyes, Naruto promptly fell on his butt. He snorted and sniffed trying to get the scent out of his nasal cavity. "Ew…my webs have been thwarted!"_

_Naruto of course had no clue what 'thwarted' even meant, but he'd read it in his comics and that was good enough for him. He could just repeat lines, it made him feel just like the real Spiderman._

_"My webs are powerless against this foe, so I guess I should challenge another!" He gave up his battle with the living pit. "Now where is doc-octopus?" The young blonde scanned the room and his sapphire eyes found their target: His grandmother's favorite plant, her prize ficas._

_That thing had a huge history behind it, his grandmother had even named it. She called it Norse, since she found it after she had visited some old Viking exhibit at a museum. She considered it a friend and treated it like a house guest. She even gave it priority over her cat, Mr. Kim-Kims._

_Sometimes she even brought it into the kitchen while she was cooking so she could have someone to 'listen' to her latest ideas on her recipes…well…it would sit and listen as well as a plant could, anyhow. She often fed it plant food mixed with warm water so it would grow bigger and get healthier as it got older, sometimes she even put a blanket over it on cold nights. Naruto often felt that that tree was like a very spoiled child. He had no major qualms challenging the thing in battle._

_"Doc-Oc! We meet again!" Carefully crawling around the living pit, Naruto crept across the floor and prepared to challenge 'Doctor Octopus', the ficas, in mortal combat._

_This resulted in a fight that involved Naruto running around the room, jumping, shouting, spraying lavender scented bathroom sanitizer every where, and leaping and rolling under furniture. By the time Naruto was finished defeating his foe, he had covered the entire tree in bathroom sanitizer spray. Just as Naruto sprayed the last of his Grandmother's scented spray, the old woman walked in._

_Even then, Naruto's grandmother was rather old. She was in her seventies, but spry for her age. She'd had long grey hair that had once been a bountiful strawberry blonde river. Her hair in her old age was not quite as beautiful as it had once been, it was tied in a loose silver braid down her back. Her face had wrinkles, but when she smiled, they lessened intensly._

_She wasn't smiling._

_"Why, Naruto what are you doing there, boy?"_

_"I'm fighting Doc-Oc, Gramma." Naruto felt a little nervous, he hoped he wasn't going to get in trouble._

_"Well…who is this Dock Oct?"_

_"He's right there Gramma! See his evil arms flying everywhere?"_

_"…indeed…well stop spraying that tree, Norse doesn't need all that spray on his leaves and bark." She gave him a stern look._

_"ok, Gramma…" he then added under his breath "stupid tree…" As his grandmother turned around Naruto stuck his tongue out generously at old Norse with as much spite as he could muster._

_"Naruto?"_

_Naruto promptly whirled around, afraid that he'd been caught. "Y-yeah, Gramma?"_

_"Would you like to help Norse and I prepare dinner this evening?" She was smiling gently now. Threat eliminated._

_Naruto was actually getting attention from his Grandmother. "YEAH!" Naruto replied with a huge grin. "Are we gonna make dessert, too?"_

_"Why, if you like, I think I have a new recipe for an angel food cake we could try out. How does that sound?"_

_"Sounds really yummy!" Naruto broke into a run towards the kitchen. "Lets cook!"_

_His grandmother followed, rolling the plant into the kitchen on it's swivel-wheel base._

--

"Hey!" Iruka exclaimed! "I see out exit!...Well, I think it's the right one." Through the curtains of howling wind and the buckets of rain, it was hard to see.

Naruto looked out of the window, daydream temporarily broken. "Na, that says exit 125." He looked at the instrutions from mapquest that they had taped to the windshield. Naruto squinted into the rain, trying to move his vantage point away from the rivers of water trailing and splattering on the wondow. "Yeah. It says 125"

Iruka sighed impatiantly. "Well, what does the almighty map quest say we should do?"

"It says get off on exit 129."

"Aliright then, false alarm. We shouldn't be there for another twenty or thirty minutes." Iruka slumped a little. This road trip was really rough on him, he'd never driven through a nasty thunderstorm, let alone a tropical depression.

The wind picked up to the point that Naruto began to feel a little motion sick. The car was being pushed across the lane with each gust.

"Urgh..." Naruto shut his eyes. He should just try to stay cool. Let his mind wander a little. He tried to recall the daydream which came to his memory rather easily earlier. He recalled that the first part of that day had been nice, but had ended horribly. But what had happened after that...? He couldn't remember. Why was it so easy to remember the irst part of the day, but near impossible to recall the second?

He strained to pull the following events foreward in his mind. It was as if his mind had been wiped clean, he had to pick the back of his mind. Eventually he realized he could piece it together, and he began to remember. It was now obvious why his mind wanted to hold back.

--

_The beginning of that evening went smoothly, without any mention of Norse at all. Finally getting attention that day was very exciting for the seven-year old. He chopped up any vegetable that his grandmother asked him to chop and stirred the soup they made until his arms ached. Naruto wondered what they had created. He leaned over and sniffed the spicy seafood soup._

_"Bleh! Gramma, what is this stuff?" Naruto wrinkled his nose. "It smells fishy."._

_His grandmother leaned over to dump some steamed oysters into the simmering soup._

_"This is a recipe I nabbed from one of the locals down in southern Alabama." She stirred the oysters into the broth to help them soften. "It's gumbo."_

_"Gum-bow?" Naruto raised his eyebrows. "I've never heard of that."_

_"Well there is always an occasion for a first time experience." She ladled a bit out into a saucer and offered it to Naruto._

_Naruto eyed the gumbo as if it were not to be trusted. "Are you sure it's good?"_

_"Why, it's very flavorsome, full of spices. I think you'll like it." She then eyed him beadily, making sure he took at least a lick of the soup._

_"Whoa!" Naruto's eyes got very large. "That's really spicy, Gramma!"_

_His grandmother smiled. "Yes…" she paused, "but isn't it good?"_

_"Yeah…but I think I need some milk…" Naruto said. His tongue was burning._

_Naruto was the object of his grandmothers affection, he shone brightly at dinner and was happy to be near her…but all good things must come to an end…from then on everything went to hell._

_Just as he and his grandmother were ending dinner with coa-coa and coffee, Naruto noticed that Norse was not looking so well. His leaves looked withered and unhealthy, and the ficas had begun to droop rather severely. He then spoke without even thinking. Something he regretted for quite a long time._

_"Gramma, N-Norse doesn't look s-so good…" Naruto mentioned timidly. He knew who was to blame. He knew who's fault it was. Why oh why did he have to open his big mouth?_

_"What?" Naruto's grandmother turned around for a better look._

_It happened in slow motion. Naruto's grandmother had glanced at Norse and her mouth slowly formed a perfect O shape in horror. Her body sprang out of the seat like lightning and her shout echoed through the house. The table shook violently as her body thudded against it. Her coffee cup had spilled and its contents dribbled all over the table and on to the floor._

_"What have you done?" she cried. The old woman ran across the kitchen, stepping on the cat and waving her arms over her head. In her haste, she flailed one of her arms into the mini crystal chandelier that hung over the dinner table, which careened wildly. Light danced around the walls from the crystal pieces like a disco ball as the chandelier swung jauntily around._

_Of course the cat had to contribute to the horrid evening, too. As soon as Mr. Kim-Kims was stepped on, the poor cat yowled and sprang up onto the table, knocking the cups and plates askew. Gumbo and cake flew everywhere. Naruto had one instant before the spicy soup flew at his face. He didn't duck in time, he was thoroughly splattered. His white shirt and blonde hair were now coated in cake and spicy gumbo. He tried wiping the concoction off his face, but bits of peppery gumbo got into Naruto's eyes making them water. All he could see now were the blurry figures of the cat and his shrieking grandmother._

_A cracking noise above made Naruto forget momentarily about his screeching grandmother and his messy situation. He stared in horror as cracks snaked their way around the metal center piece of the chandelier, causing the electrical equipment to shift. Bits of plaster fell out from around the centerpiece of the chandelier. Naruto knew what was going to happen a second before it did and launched himself away from the table._

_With a crackling noise as the electrical wiring snapped, the miniature chandelier began to fall. The surrounding wires popped loudly, emitting sparks as its tethering to the ceiling gave way. With a sickening crash, the chandelier hit the table, spraying even more food and glass everywhere. Plaster rained down, adding a powdered sugar dusting to Naruto's already filthy attire. Naruto screamed and looked in horror through the ruined kitchen towards his grandmother who hadn't even noticed any of the ruckus. Everything had happened over the course of around four or five seconds._

_His grandmother was busy tending to the plant. His grandmother was, in addition to tending, in hysterics. Still shrieking, she grabbed Norse and wheeled the plant like an out of control trolley out of the kitchen. She aimed the plant toward the front foyer and prepared to wheel him out side. There was a nursery down the road that could help him._

_"G-Gramma! Wh-what are you doing?" Naruto called after her._

_She ignored the call and kept wheeling the plant. "I'll save you!" She cried. She broke into a run and tried to wheel the plant out the front door…the screen door was still closed. Unfortunately, the front door had a rather large framed base. Both old woman and plant hit the base and careened into the screen door instead of pushing it open as was intended._

_Naruto ran into the foyer at this exact moment and was horrified. Once again time slowed, Naruto watched as his grandmother's body caught the setting sun. He watched her silhouetted legs flail through the air and her shawl sailing behind her like a cape. The plant flew even further and fell down the steps. The old thing's shriek carried to the heavens and matched the sound of tearing metal as the screen door and it's hinges were ripped out of the frame._

_Suddenly, time went back on track. His grandmother's flying through the air came to an abrupt halt when she landed face first in her flower bed . Naruto stared in terror. His grandmother had laid there or a few seconds before getting up._

_The old woman got up, and without a word walked over to Norse the ficas. He was positioned pathetically on the stairs, trunk snapped nearly in two. Naruto's Grandmother did not even react. She bent over, and touched the trunk once. The fragile tree snapped in two, the crackling sound echoing over the front yard.. His grandmother did not even so much as flinch. She simply stood up and walked over to the shed behind her house._

_Sighing, Naruto walked into the kitchen, slowly. His limbs hurt a little, he also felt groggy from all the shock. He had half a mind to check on his Grandmother, to maybe see what she was going to do in the shed. Naruto shambled past the table, the soles of his shoes crushing the little bits of broken glass beneath him. His grandmother's kitchen had windows over the sink that faced the backyard. Sighing, Naruto climbed onto the sink and peered out the window. Through the screen, he could see his Grandmother dragging an old bird-feeder out of the shed._

_"Naruto!"_

_Naruto flinched as he heard his Grandmother's voice pierce the quiet. She wasn't yelling, but her voice was loud and slightly shaky. Moreover, loud enough to make him want to wet his pants, anyway._

_"Naruto!" she continued "Naruto, I need to speak with you right now."_

_In terror, the seven year old, gumbo splattered child climbed down from he sink and exited the house through the back door. He proceeded at a funeral march pace torward where his Grandmother stood. He hoped she wouldn't hit him with the bird-feeder._

_"Y-yeah, Gramma?"_

_"You…you…" His Grandmother's creepy composure was faltering. _

_The old woman stood there, swaying a little, covered in mud. Her long hair hung about her in loose ropey pieces, clumped with mud. She looked like a banshee...a muddy one._

_ The state of shock she'd been in was wearing off. She looked down at him, and in a loud voice, yowled . "You've killed my only friend!" She had then proceeded to chase her grandson around the backyard with the bird-feeder. She might have actually gotten him, had Naruto not climbed the old peach tree in her backyard. He lived in that tree for three hours, fear of his bird-feeder wielding grandmother keeping him prisoner. Sure, she'd gone into the house after hal an hour of screeching at him from the base o the trunk, unable to climb it her self. He had really needed to pee after a while._

_When his mother and father arrived that night, they were shocked to find a mound in the front yard, freshly created, with a rock placed over it, like a headstone. His mother knew something was definitely awry immediately. When they'd walked on to the porch, his mother and father could hear faint mewling sounds coming from somewhere near the house._

_Before talking to his Grandmother, Naruto's parents knew it would be better to check out the sounds. As fate would hold it, the decision was a wise one. Entering the back yard, The Uzumaki's had found a sobbing Naruto and a meowing and dehydrated Mr. Kim Kims in the peach tree behind the house. The old thing had chased Mr. Kim Kims up there after discovering the kitchen. Both cat and boy had used the tree for refuge._

_Naruto had gone home that very evening…and then to child therapy the very next._

_!?_

_--_

A tremendous roll of thunder snapped Naruto out of his daydream, he glanced at the dashboard clock. Half an hour had gone by. It was now 8:17 PM, he had been in that stupid sedan for over 9 hours now. He didn't want to admit it, but his Grandmother still scared him a little.

_'Me scared? Of that little old bat? ah, hell no' _Naruto thought to himself, putting up a little show in his head. Then after replaying the memory quickly, he decided she did make him a little uneasy. Naruto winced slightly at the memory, it had been over twelve years ago, so what did it really matter? She couldn't possibly still be mad. His grandmother had been alright, even if that ugly old ficas didn't make it. Mr. Kim-Kims got a lot more attention post dead ficas than pre-grandson killing ficas, so the cat benefited. What could really be held against him?

Well, at least maybe there was no grudge against him, but his Mother held a grudge alright. Naruto's mother had not allowed him to visit his grandmother since that day. His father did not particularly want his son around that lady either. Old ladies that chase children aroun with birdfeeders are not often highly regarded by families.

Iruka was a whole 'nother kettle of fish. He on the other hand, thought it might be wise to send Naruto there for a few days...Well that was then and this was now. She wasn't this ill before.

Naruto glared at the driver, who was currently squinting into the rain, trying to avoid a tractor trailer. Stupid Iruka, forcing him to travel all the way to the bayous of Alabama, stupid birdy granny.

The thought of a bird-feeder wielding grandmother wasn't appealing, or maybe even a shotgun wielding "gramma" by now.

She had gone "Quite awry" according to her private physician. Naruto's Grandmother "needed visitors" Dr. Gordan had said. She needed them to get more human contact, which she seemed highly unwilling to acheive on her own.

Naruto only reluctantly agreed to traverse to her house on the simple agreement that Iruka be dragged along, too. He really wished that his parents could…no…no, he wouldn't think about that.

He would _NOT _think about that.

Naruto just needed to keep his mind on other issues. _'Think about this gray death trap. Think about the rain pouring outside, like the sky just can't stop crying.' _Naruto swallowed a knot in his throat. He was ninteen, dammit. An adult! He wasn't gonna break down, especially with no provoking. '_Think about the good times. Think about the trip. Think about the white noise on the radio. Think about Gramma.' _

_'Yeah, crazy crazy Gramma.' _He looked out into the rain. His mind once again busy.

Gramma...He didn't really think she was some crazy old lady, just misunderstood...well, actually he honestly knew she was...and hoped deep down that this wasn't all his fault.

Even though the cat benefited from the incident, Naruto still couldn't be sure that his Grandmother really had. It was just his logic he was applying. How could he know what really happened after?

She had moved that same year, her idiosyncratic ways had grown far worse. Rather than live on the east coast, she had opted moving into the deep south. It wasn't even really the deep south, it was into a bayou located next to the border on Alabama and Louisiana. The idea wasn't to be absorbed into the Cajun culture that his Grandmother loved, but to be withdrawn into the bayou. To be around people less than ever before.

:3

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note continued**

_Gawd, that whole ficas thing was so fun to write. I mean, I'm no l337 writer or nuthin, so it must have seemed crazy, but that was kindof the intention. XD not all the chapters will be this psychotic. _

_PS. I just had to add the word i__diosyncratic. __It had to be done. XD_

_**SASUNARU corner**_

_Naruto: It's like that…that thing that every teenager dreams and wishes about every minute of the day. That one thing they want, but can't get?_

_Sasuke: Sex?_

_Naruto: Oo No! sleep, teme. SLEEP._

_Sasuke: Ah._

_Naruto: but I guess that guess does make a little sense, eh?_

_Sasuke: Everything I say can hold it's own weight in merit._

_Naruto:…: /_

_Sasuke: You didn't even know what that meant, did you?_

_Naruto: Thaaaassright :3_


	3. Chapter II Part I

_**Author's Note**_

_Well, hey there! It's been months since I believe I have actually updated anything. Senior year was a rough ride. Betcha thought I quit, dintcha? Well, NO no I have NOT. Let the story continue. I try to keep my chapters longer, if you prefer them shorter and a little less spaced out, just read and review. Let me KNOW what you love, what you hate, etc. _

_P.S. Need a beta. I SUCK. _

**Warnings**: cartoon violence X3, crazy old women, creepy deus ex machina streakers, and MOSQUITOS.

Not for the faint of heart (orly?) X3. Enjoy.

Sheets of rain poured down even harder, drumming on the hood of the car, and splashing onto the windshield. Little rives moved diagonally across the whistling window.

Naruto rested his head on his palm, scrunching up his face. "Blaaaaaah! Bored!" Klonking his head against the window, Naruto absentmindedly began to play with the window scroll. Up a little down a little up a little down a little. Never enough for the rain to get in, but enough to make the glass move on his face. Should anyone have driven by, without flying off the road because of the storm, they would have flown off anyway after seeing his face smashed on the window.

Naruto looked out into the gale, it had gotten much darker, and it was hard to see anything anymore. He looked at the road ahead instead, at least that had high beams focused on it. The ground had changed, becoming sandier, less mud caking the road through and through. How lovely. Sand would mean better traction, less likely they'd die. (Well, less likely BEFORE meeting Gramma anyway) It was so dark now that a little increase in traction wasn't really a big help. To top everything off, along with the darkness, the rain came down even heavier.

Almost as if to say, 'hey there, bet it's pretty hard to drive in this shitstorm, amirite? I know! I bet darkness makes it even harder, so let's add a few additional buckets of rain. How does ovar 9000 sound? Good? NO? GREAT! Enjoy!'

"Geezus, this is getting ridiculous!" Iruka tapped the break a little, but immediately had to stop. With so much water on the road, just a small tap led to a hydroplaning adventure.

The screeching water and tires was nearly deafening. "Ah shiiiiiiit" Iruka struggled against the water, trying to keep the wheel in place. The car began to fishtail slightly. The jerk made Naruto smack his face on the passenger side window.

"IRUKA!!! What the HELL?!?" Smacking his head on the glass was not pleasant.

"Not now Naruto!" Iruka didn't even shout. In fact he hissed those words. He was light headed with adrenaline and fear, and had to place every bit on concentration on guiding the car until they came to a stop.

Finally realizing the dire situation, Naruto felt his own adrenaline begin to pump as fear placed its icy grip over his heart. Naruto reached over and rapid fire did something that he hadn't done in years. He grabbed his seat belt and snapped it into the belt slot. "Oh godohgodohgodohgod!!!" He fumbled wildly with the clasp, in a panic. Finally clicking it in place he looked up. "WHOAOHSHIT!" The car was nearly sideways. Naruto's mind began to whirl '_we are going to flip, or run off the road and roll till we are both dead! It'll be like those gators that death roll people and rip limbs off or drown them, only gators are green and the car is grey, and OhgodohgodgodgodwearegonnadiewhyamIthinkingaboutfuckinggatorsatatimelikeTHIIIIISSSSSS!!!!_'

With a gurgle of wet soil the car began to slide into the median. At 30 miles per hour. The friction of the soil caught the front left tire first and dragged it back fast, jerking the whole car and making it fishtail rapidly to the right. The passengers side of the vehicle flew forward, meaning Naruto was now staring into the rapidly passing oblivion that was the median. His cerulean eyes were wide with terror, his heart was racing. He looked out the passenger side window that he had just been fiddling with, into the darkness, fearing the worst. The road no longer had the high beams of the sedan lighting it, making the storm impenetrable to his eyes, the exception being when lighting lit the highway.

It was then that he saw it. The only thing illuminating the road was lightning, and just as a bolt of lightning sliced through the blackness for a second, he saw the outline of a figure running thirty feet down the road. "Look OUT!" he shouted, not that it mattered. What felt like a millisecond later, the whole car rammed into a solid object, and stopped completely on contact. Naruto got one moment of horror when he saw what they hit before everything lit up for a milisecond, like a firecracker, and then, just as quickly, went black.

--------------------------------------------------

Sonia Uzumaki sat in a rocking chair. At Eighty-nine, she felt that the rheumatism in her joints was just another barrier every time a large storm came roaring her way. She sighed and adjusted her shawl. She stretched a little, easing her sore limbs. The storm outside had just started, seemed like a pretty bad one. The cat would have to stay inside tonight.

A banging on the window reminded her that the shutters would need to be closed.

"Close the shutters, rain gets in, soil the wood, might kill the cat." She mumbled to herself quite often, but, unlike a few years before, she didn't care anymore. At first when she had caught herself, she had been distressed, and gone to Dr. Gordon in a kind of panic. Later, she realized with a morbid satisfaction that she liked talking to herself. She found that the listener always agreed with whatever she said. However, what she didn't realize was that over time, her mumbling had become incoherent and untranslatable to most. She didn't realize her sanity was leaving her. Grabbing her walker next to the chair, she shakily rose to her knobbly feet and padded into the various rooms of her cabin styled house. Every time she reached a window, she grabbed the wood panel shutters and reined them in routinely, hooking the metal clasp that held them in place. None of the windows had glass, she had seen to that. There would be no glass. "No glass. Cut the cat. Cut yourself, no no no…better without I always say." She shambled about muttering about rain, glass and such.

When she reached the last window, her old eyes peered into the bayou. This was the only window on the west side of her house, in the smallest room, her guest room. The one that directly looked into the deepest area of the bayou. She gave it a scan through the rising wind and rain searching for even the tiniest flicker of movement or life. This was just a xeric type of activity for her. She had to do it every time she approached the window. _It_ could be watching.

Her eyes caught it just before it dashed higher up a tree. _It _had been sitting there clinging to the tree, red eyes staring at her. Watching her. Spying on her. When she'd spotted it, only then did it quickly climb higher into the tree, much like a lizard, slithering up the trunk.

"Always watching always waiting…" She mumbled. She grabbed the shutters and with one more glance, harshly latched them shut.

----------------------------------------------

Naruto opened his eyes. But somehow…he didn't. Glancing around himself he found that he wasn't in the wreck at all. It wasn't raining. It wasn't even night time; it must have been around noon. The heat was oppressive, and he felt like he could cut the air with a knife, it was so humid. However, for some odd reason, none of this struck him as alarming or even worth caring about. It felt right. The sun shown brilliantly overhead obscured by leaves, turning their undersides a surreal, glowing, green. He looked around him. He was in the middle of a thick forest, on a narrow trail. Through the trees he could see a body of sluggish water, dotted with tress. Bugs flew about, illuminated by the sun, he could hear birds chirping above. It was beautiful. At least for the moment.

A sudden sting made him look at his shoulder in annoyance. A large mosquito was doing her work. "Aw GROSS!" Naruto swatted the mosquito angrily, leaving a squished bug and a few droplets of blood in the smack's wake. "Damn bugs are so annoying." He wished they would leave him alone, it got very aggravating when the bites started to itch incessantly as mosquito bites often do. He really should start wearing shirts, they would protect him from bugs and sunburn; but, in his opinion, it was to hot and muggy for such an unnecessary article of clothing. He didn't care that the adults thought it was indecent. His friends didn't mind, and they were who really counted.

His friends! How could he have forgotten? Naruto took to a quicker pace down the trail, graduating into a lope. The trees began to run together in a green mirage. They were still waiting! He broke into a run. They wanted to….fish…

"Naruto…"

…wanted to wade…shallows…

"…Naruto…"

…crawdads…nets…summer…

"Naruto!"

Naruto felt his eyes flutter open. Everything was rotating a little. Cold rain fell on his face. "Ugh" He turned on his side. The grass he was laying on was whipped about fiercely by the wind and rain." Throw…up…" He felt his whole body convulse, his began coughing and gagging weakly. His throat clenched and expelled the contents of his stomach. He just lay there like a boned fish, retching and sputtering. A bright flash made him shut his eyes, and like an explosion, the thunder that followed roared in his ears.

"Naruto!"

Naruto looked up and there was Iruka, reaching down.

"You get it all out, bud?"

Naruto couldn't answer with words. He settled with a "Bleeeeeh…" He hated that term 'bud', 'buddy', etc. Iruka only used it when he was pathetic looking. Which meant he most likely looked like shit. '_What the hell happened?' _He thought_. _The last thing he remembered was Iruka hydroplaning…everything else…"Urrrrck…" Thinking made his head spin.

"Naruto, does anything feel broken?" Iruka had to half shout to be heard over the storm.

Naruto slowly moved a foot, the other, his hand, other hand, leg, leg, arm, arm, back, neck, everything seemed alright. He slowly shook his head, feeling the mud caked hair slide from side to side on his skull. He instantly regretted the decision however, it made the world spin, and he vomited again. "…ugh." He sputtered and coughed.

"Ok, we need to get you to your grandmother's, ASAP." Iruka waited for a moment, made sure Naruto could nod, and then picked up the soaking wet, and sandy mop. He glanced at the passengers side, and decided that it would be better to put him in the back. Stomping through the sandy mud, he squinted around and eventually found the handle when lightning struck in the nearby woods; it sent a quick shimmering reflection of the metal switch. It was hard to see with Naruto and the rain both blocking his vision, so the lightning was a blessing.

After fumbling with the door and nearly dropping the semi-conscious teen twice, Iruka finally succeeded in opening it and hauled Naruto into the car. Following that, he slumped a little for a quick rest against the side of the sedan. Naruto was heavy, at 6'2, he was considerably tall, and not the easiest to just throw around. Iruka was only 6 feet tall, but hell, Naruto was still his son, well, foster son. He would do his best to care for him.

Glancing at the car, he decided it would be best to check and see if anything was ruptured to badly. He then moved around to look at the damage. It wasn't too bad. He supposed they hit a deer, a buck most likely, the dent was fairly big. It looked as if the passenger door wouldn't shut properly. The strangest thing was, however, that whatever they hit, wasn't there anymore. It was as if it just got up and walked away. He had heard of deer doing that, but, that was a _very _hard hit. It was enough to stop a car. That thing should be road kill soup.

The thing's blood was clotting into the dent so badly that even the driving rain wasn't enough to rinse it off. Iruka looked closely at the dent. Bits of flesh were scattered across the warped surface, bits of bloody fur were caked on in random places.

"Ah…man.." He hadn't realized that the passengers side window was broken. Water dribbled in, wetting the matting and probably ruining the interior. A hole the size of an apple lay a little off center, and the resulting cracks made a dangerous web all across the glass pane. The hole itself was covered in blood. He momentarily panicked at that realization.

"Naruto!" He scurried over the hood feet sliding on the rain covered metal, getting elongated muddy foot prints all over it. Landing on the other side, his feet slid a little in the sludge and wet grass, but grabbing the handle kept him upright. He leapt into the car. The dome light flickered on, bathing the inside of the car in a pale yellow glow. Shutting the driver's side door rapidly. He looked back at Naruto's forehead.

Nothing. Not a scratch on it. The puncture hole in the glass wasn't from Naruto at all. Thinking back, he remembered that after the hit, Naruto lay slumped in his seat. The first thing Iruka had done was check the teen's head. No cuts, no welts, only a bump. A nasty one on the side of his head. This in itself was odd, he could have sworn Naruto was facing the window when they'd hit the deer. But he didn't have time to think about it. Naruto wouldn't wake up. Iruka had to lay him outside the car, in the grass and just as he was about to panic, Naruto had woken up. Barely. Enough that he could barf up his kidneys anyway, a sure sign of a concussion. The dome light clicked off. The interior of the car was plunged into darkness.

Iruka fumbled with his keys for a moment and then slid the proper one into the ignition. Holding his breath, he turned it. The car started just like always. With the farmilier blast that came out of the tail pipe, the backfire blended with another rumble of thunder perfectly. He tried the gas and found that it worked, the car lurched foreward.

"Alright, you." Iruka turned back at Naruto who was semi-conscious at best. "You are NOT aloud to fall asleep…_Naruto_!" He yelled the last word

Naruto's eyes opened a little wider for a moment, though still they were unfocused.

"I would never forgive myself if you fell into a coma."

"k…I'mawake…"

Carfully, sliding in the sand, Iruka eased the car back onto the interstate. The alignment was screwed. He had to hard left just to keep the car going strait. "Well, shit." Rain leaked in through the hole in the window, mixing with the gore and leaving pink stains on the interior. The wind howled. Iruka looked into his rear-view mirror, making sure Naruto was alright.

A bright flash of lightning illuminating the teen was his only guide. "Hang in there." Iruka was careful, he kept their speed at a grand total of 25 miles per hour. Couldn't afford for anything else to go wrong.

: 3

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note continued**

_Yes. Short. I know. This one was just shorter._

_Yeah, I'll most likely update this summer, once or twice. The reason I was able to post this was because I am on a trip with my family to Kentucky. 8. Hours. In a car. With my folks. Who still think I am eight years old. Ten years behind, Mary Poppins, I'm about to go to college. _

_Lol. Anyway, YEAH!!! UPDATE!!!!! THANKYOU LONDON!!!! GOODNIGHT!!!!_

_**SASUNARU corner**_

Sasuke:*cough*

Naruto:….O3O sucks to your assmar.

Sasuke:…uh huh…I'm guessing a literary pun reference from a gruesome survival novel about young boys who turn feral? Seems morbid for you.

Naruto: Haven't you read _Lord of the Flies_?

Sasuke: Yes, yes I have, clearly, you have NOT.

Naruto: Spark notes is READING!

Sasuke:….*cough*


	4. Chapter III Part I

_**Authors Note (as per usual)**_

_Here you go. Another chapter. Once again, yes it's shorter. Whatever. Enjoy. _

**Warnings: **_Language_**. **_cartoon violence. sexual themes. Uh. Naked chicks? Yeah._

_My love of the phrase 'cartoon violence' lives on._

* * *

Hello darkness, my old friend,  
Ive come to talk with you again,  
Because a vision softly creeping,  
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,  
And the vision that was planted in my brain  
Still remains  
Within the sound of silence.

And whispered in the sounds of silence.

-Sound of Silence-Simon and Garfunkel

It was hot. Even though the moon shown in the sky, and the sun had been down for hours. Naruto was covered in sweat. Stupid heat. Stupid water in the air. Wait, heat?  
Naruto reached up into a starry sky. "When did it stop storming?" He felt the prickley sensation of grass and realized that he was laying on a grassy slope. He turned his head, and was mildly surprised to find that the grass was teal coloured. Albeit dark, since it was night. But it wasn't just the colour of the grass that seemed off.

The sky looked purpler than black, and the amount of stars looked like electrified castor sugar had been spilled across the sky. There were many lightning bugs all around him, illuminating the muggy air. It was all quite beautiful… but it felt so perfect and ordinary, despite the beauty. He had a mild desire to see it better. He lifted his head up, followed by his torso. Looking to his left. He was shocked to see a girl, around his own age, right next to him.  
The girl slept peacefully next to him, barely stirring. He might not have known she was alive had she not caused the blades of grass near her face to move ever so slightly with each breath she took. She was so beautiful. Her skin was tanned, her hair long and glossy. It, like the sky, seemed more purple than black, and its sheen was so full that the firefly's were reflected on its surface. Looking at her hair was like looking at the starry sky. She slept face down on her stomach, her head turned out to the side ever so slightly. The next detail was nice, but mildly unsettling, the girl's back was bare. Not even a bra.  
"hooooomigod…" Naruto felt the world swim beneath him for one second, then he sprung his whole body into the air like a cat. He looked around frantically for her shirt. Scrambling through the grass, he found it, much to the dismay of a few fireflys, who had deemed it perfect for a rest. He immediately yanked it up. "wha?"

It wasn't a shirt at all. It was a plain, grey, dress. Not even an attractive one. You wouldn't see any curves through that thing. He looked at her again, oh yes, this girl definitely had some good graces going for her. His male mind took control and quickly punched his conscience in the face. That dress was better off on the ground.

He sat back down net to her, leaving the dress a few feet away. He personally thought that he hadn't made much noise, but apparently he had.  
The girl's eyes fluttered open and her arms reached for him. It took him a moment to take it in. A topless girl. Reaching for him. But, she moved her hands through the air as if searching. She was blind. Her eyes were a milky white.

"hey, uh right here." He soon found himself on the grassy hill once more, laying on his back.

The girl had decided to use his body as a head rest. She folded an arm gracefully over her breasts, and then taking utmost care, lay her own shoulders on his chest. "Even though I can't see you, I still love you."  
He looked down. Was that her that just spoke? Or was it the wind? Her voice was gentle and musical, coming and going.  
Her hand curled through the air, unsure, feeling for him. Once it made contact with his face, he felt her gentle caress and smiled. "Are you sure?" She asked gently. "You realize…the risk?"  
"I'm sure as shootin" Naruto hadn't even meant to speak at all. Before he could even correct himself, her lips found their place on his. He had never felt anything like this. Sure, he'd been with girls before, but this was different. This girl, she had no fervor in her kisses, almost no passion. There was no heat by any definition in her kiss. Only a cool sweetness, a mellow butterfly, gently landing on his lips.

Naruto sighed and touched the girl's face. He could play along…but how did he seem to know this part so well? These thoughts slid with no viscosity through his mind and slipped out as quickly as they'd come. At the contact with her skin, his finger felt like it was on fire. "damn…" Her temperature was so high, almost feverish. Her skin was burning to the touch. Where had the coldness gone? "hey, you sick?"

The girl pulled away for a moment. "Are you wanting to stop because I'm ugly?"

"what in hell? NO. I was just a bit worried about you, ok? you sure you ain't got a fever?" Since when did he say 'ain't'…whatever, not important…no worries…

She was so beautiful, lovely face, full, soft breasts, wide hips, and a narrow waist. Perfection. How could she be so hard on herself? She opened her mouth once again, this time, looking confused. "…You know the answer to that…" She murmured softly. "…which leads to my earlier question…" She licked her lips. "Are you sure? Y-you know the risk"

He was a little shocked to see her tear up a bit.

"W-what? It's fine, alright?" He held her close. "It's all fine."

"If…if you say so…"

He turned to look at her face again, and found that she had opened her mouth wide. Wider than a human should be capable of doing, it was almost as if her jaw had unhinged. Her canines were huge and quite sharp in appearance. Her incisors, though not so noticeable were pointed as well. For a moment he was frightened, but a second later, for some strange reason he felt calm and unthreatened. He just knew. Everything was ok.

"N-Naruto?" Her gaping maw clacked shut audibly

He looked down at her again. "yeah?" How could she still talk? Those teeth…those teeth…

"Th-Thank you. No one else would understand…"

"anytime." The answer came as if someone else spoke.

Without further warning, the girl opened that cavern of a mouth once again and latched onto his side, biting him firmly on his ribs.

The pain was unreal, he felt flesh and bone crunch, and a coldness radiating from the spot. "Sh-shit" He looked down and saw an almost fist sized hole had been bitten out of his side. It might as well have been done with a rounded cheese grater. "uuhhgh.." He was determined not to scream. He'd promised. He'd promised? What the hell? who what where and when?

Looking down, it was nasty, those teeth had done some severe damage, no doubt cracked and maybe even removed some rib, he could see past many different layers of flesh..too many. Skin, bone, fat, muscle, deep fascia, how would he survive this?

"Naruto?"

His head snapped up from the wound itself. The girl was calmly wiping her mouth, and smiling a tad. As if nothing had happened.

"It's amazing how fast you heal. It's almost like voodoo."

He looked down, flesh seemed to be busily knitting itself over the bone and muscle, skin was already growing back. "What the-?"

"S-so, now that that's taken care of…"…She smiled shyly…"Do…you want to continue where we left off?...its only if you want t-to!" She looked genuinely flustered, innocent, and quite red in the face.

He felt his side, though it was tender, it had mostly closed. He could still feel a large amount of pain and turmoil underneath, but, it might as well have been bandaged by an expert surgeon. It wouldn't fully heal for a few days, but for now, his skin covered the gore, it would protect him. There was no question what he wanted.

"I-I mean, shoot, it's perfectly fine if you need…I-I would t-too after-mmmmph!" Her nervous chatter was cut off abruptly as he forcefully kissed her. "ouch! P-please not s-so hard…" She gently touched his wrist.

"oh!" He pulled away to find that he had grabbed her arm, and it was quite a grip, upon letting go, four purple marks were already blossoming under her skin. "I-I'm so sorry!"

"Y-your…sorry? Really? Thankyou, Naruto, but really its fine. L-look, see? No harm done." The bruises were already fading, changing to a greenish hue. "I-I don't feel any pain now…and I know you just don't know your own s-strength sometimes, I mean, really how could you?" She smiled, a laugh playing in her sightless eyes.

"haha very funny. I'm no Hercules or noth-…" He looked down at himself. That was undoubtedly his body…but…He was stronger. No question about it, In fact…had he ever felt this in shape? Looking down he found that his skin was bronzed, and his arms were very well toned. His chest looked like it was carved from granite. "whoa…" He even had a six pack playing itself across his stomach.

The girl smiled again. "It's l-like you don't see yourself as h-handsome as you really are." She pulled him closer, and he found himself against her soft chest in a hug. "I can see it…and I-I'm blind." She blinked back a few tears.

Upon hearing this he cupped her chin and slowly tilted her face up to his with a frown. "Hey now, girl, hold on just one minute. You have the most perfect eyes of any woman I have ever met." He kissed her, careful not to injure her this time, gently caressing her skin with calloused hands. He let his tongue dart over her teeth; each jagged and pointed as a serrated blade.

"…INATA…"

They both froze. Each had heard the voice, carried by the wind. A good distance away, but the point was across.

The girl smiled and quickly hopped to her feet. "Oh!!! It's so late! How couldn't I have noticed? N-now, my dress…where…" She bent over and felt around in the grass. "Y-you know how he gets if I'm not home in time…"

"Oh! I moved it. Sorry, ungentelmenly of me, huh?" He hopped over and picked up the discarded dress, it had fallen a good eight feet from where it originally was. How had he so calmly forgotten?

"Here it is."

"…Here is what?" Her voice had an odd ringing tone. And he couldn't see her anymore…or the grass or sky….

"Here it is!" He said despairingly, so confused.

"Here is what?...The exit?"

Naruto opened his eyes. He was in the car. His head was killing him. Where was that girl? Who? Something in his dream? He…he…shit. He lost it. The dream seemed to have slipped from his subconscious. He couldn't remember anything.

"I was worried for a moment you had drifted off there. I'm proud of you for staying awake."

"ugh…" His head hurt so bad…was it worth it to even be awake?

* * *

Iruka tried to keep the car strait, it really was a feat all its own. The axel was clearly warped, he silently prayed it would stay in line. Crawling down the highway, it felt that it was taking an eternity to reach the proper exit. He looked in the back.

Naruto was swaying a bit, his eyes were open, but unfocused. "Shit." He couldn't have Naruto go into a coma. "SHIT!" He pounded the wheel twice. "This is taking to fucking LONG!" He rev'ed the engine and took it a little faster. To his surprise, the car held steady. "Good. Keep it up." He patted the dashboard roughly.

"Here….s"

Iruka jumped. He thought he had heard Naruto's voice over the storm. Looking back, he saw Naruto frowning. And scrunching his face a bit.

"Here it is…"

He looked back at Naruto, a bit confused. He hoped he wasn't falling asleep or having hallucinations. "Here is what?"

"Here is is." Naruto's words had more force now.

"Here is what?" Iruka asked. He looked back at Naruto worriedly, and then snapped his head strait foreword to peer out the windshield. "The exit?" Squinting through the gale Iruka found that indeed, they had finally reached the proper exit. So Naruto was awake. Hell, he'd even seen the exit through the storm. He was paying sharper attention than Iruka. What a kid. He inwardly smiled, proud of his foster son."I was worried for a moment you had drifted off there. I'm proud of you for staying awake."

He got a light grunt in response. Better than nothing.

: 3

_To be continued…_

_**SASUNARU corner with the question answer guest: BYZA!!!**_

Naruto: OMG BYZA are you retarded? This story is taking forever!!! Make with the yaoi!!!!

Byza: I know. It WILL pick up. Its almost to the point where you reach your grandmother's house anywho. Hella cool stuff is gonna go down once you get there. But no yaoi yet.

Sasuke: oh yes, that reminds me…WHY haven't I gotten a cameo yet?

Byza: because you don't show till the NEXT chapter. Besides, I've been reading the Naruto manga, and quite frankly, you are a douche. You deserve a beating. Which you will get later in my story. :3

Naruto: And what the hell is with Hinata topless and me being all hetero around her?! This is a SASUNARU fanfiction! dattebayo!!!

Byza: STFU. You don't say that in my presence. EVER Nor are you allowed to say the word "teme"

Naruto:…

Sasuke: That's what you get, dobe.

Byza: You too! No saying "dobe" either I'm sick of BOTH THOSE PHRASES popping up in fanfictions.

Sasuke: well, alright then. However, you never did answer the question that Naruto so crudely dictated about his sexuality.

Byza: oh, that. Yes. Yes, this is still a SASUNARU. As to why he had sex with Hinata, that must be left a mystery for now. Plot device, Mr. Frodo, plot device.


	5. Chapter IV Part I

_**Author's Note**_

_Yes, a year later…THE BYZA RETURNS. College, family and…well, things, happen._

_It's a horror, romance, suspense, mystery, and angsty fic. Critters, and Killers, and Swamps, OH MY! Any mystery presented WILL be solved later. _

…_and that's all I will tell you. I WON'T GIVE UP ON THIS STORY. I JUST WON'T, don't worry._

**Warnings**: cartoon violence X3, crazy old women, creepy deus ex machina creepers, language, and GORE. LOT 'O GORE.

"It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep."

-Owl City

Lighting lit up a tree near the bayou, the light surrounding a large knot hole toward the top of the trunk, where dead branches reached up, like the arms of corpses. It seemed that no matter how the light tried, it could not permeate the gaping black that filled the inside of the tree. The minute it entered the knot, the blackness engulfed it.

This made the tree all the better for its resident, who, at that moment, was peacefully in slumber. It was not touched by light, even in the day, for the tree itself was hollow. Any form of light never seemed to be able to descend into the abyss be it day or night.

The tree hadn't always been hollow; the resident itself had hollowed the tree by its own hand. For exactly one purpose: To hide from the daylight and heat. Light meant the living would be about, and the living meant temptation. Heat meant death. A painful one. Neither were seen by said resident as acceptable by any means.

Thunder crashed and it stirred. "…" The creature sat up with painstaking slowness, testing its stiff tendons and creaky limbs. It had curled up into fetal position and fallen asleep that way, what an idiot.

It'd been gone for too long this time, if it weren't for the storm, the creature might have never awakened. Slowly and shakily, it lifted one wing, and felt the muscles in its back tense and coil, straining to lift the weight. The creatures closed eyes roved.

Tendons popped and cartilage creaked as the twitching wing finally managed to lift off the floor. After the other followed suit, the creature began the difficult task of standing up. It cracked its toes one at a time, and placed its feet flat on the floor.

Clutching at the wall with one hand and grabbing its bony knee with the other, it managed to right itself. The pain pulsating through its back was sharp and instantaneously connected with its changing from such a prolonged position. The creature took a clawed hand carefully from the wall, wincing at the stiffness in its forelimb, and proceeded to ease some of the stiffness in its neck.

At first, the feeling was pleasing. The clawed digits rubbed away at stiffness on the sides, until they moved to the back. It couldn't get to those muscles. As its hand had pressed, something foreign had been in the way. More carefully this time, it felt the base of its neck. Slowly and blindly investigating from its neck down, the objects in question could be found up and down its back.

Each was thin, stuck out a good inch from the surrounding tissue, and quite sharp. Only after a rather harsh tug, could it be confirmed that they were indeed a part of its body. Its own spine. That was the only explanation; the vertebrae on its back had broken through the skin.

Despair. Sleep was supposed to have delayed such happenings, why was it failing now? How far had it regressed? Its eyes! Could it still see? The creature finally opened its eyes, each deep and red from its own blood. Its pupils instantly dilated to the point that the blood filled irises all but vanished.

It looked at the impenetrable darkness, its swollen pupils taking in every drop of light. It could see, not well, but it could differentiate its warped hands tipped with sharp talons, see shadows of its wings as they stretched and shifted about its body So, it still had its eyes, it could still see.. That could be considered a lighter point.

A growl in its stomach interrupted its brooding. Hastily, it looked up at the hole in the tree that lead to the outside world. Lightning flashed, catching its eyes, and making them glow like embers. With something akin to a guttural growl, it began the steep ascent up the inside of the tree, using the sharp nails on its hands and feet to claw into the bark. Grunting at the difficulty, it pulled and pushed its way to the exit.

Reaching the top, it peered out into the darkness of the Bayou. It looked much the same as when it had fallen asleep. Warm rain splashed down, it had been awhile since it had gotten the benefit of such a feeling. Tilting its head upwind, it let the rain fall on its face.

As if the storm grew impatient with its enjoyment, wind rustled past its wings, catching them unceremoniously. It almost lost its balance, teetering for a moment, but it managed to right itself. Claws buried deep into the bark, it let its nose and ears tell it what it needed to know.

A squirrel ran haphazardly in a nearby tree, there was a burrow of rabbits beneath this very tree. A herd of deer was quietly waiting out the storm in some bushes nearby on a bank. Then, a scent it hadn't had the pleasure of smelling in a long while reached its nose. A fox. Tiny little vulpine creature, most likely injured based on the strong scent of blood. A small, but acceptable meal.

Cracking its neck once, it yawned, sharp fangs glinting. It decided to look up at the storm one last time, which proved to be a mistake. Lightning branched across the sky, making its pupils shrink for a moment. Instantaneously, a clawed hand covered its face, though it was a little too late. Bio-luminescent red eyes blazed across the bayou, a sure fire way for prey to spot its hunter.

Oh well, by the time it managed to locate the fox, its eyes would be fitting. It then spread its wings about it without ceremony, it was time. Time to hunt.

Sonia heard the shriek before she was fully aware of it. One eye opened lazily, almost of its own accord. "Ssssnrrrk." With a tiny snore, she awoke fully, looking around herself dazedly. Her tired eyes focused on the window in front of her. Hurriedly she sat up in her chair and peered around the room at each window. Yes. Each was closed appropiratly. There would be no need of concern there. During many a storm she had awoken in such a way due to the banging of her shutters. Though this time, each seemed tired down properly.

CRACK! Lightning struck nearby in the bayou. The resounding thunder was loud and deep. It's throngs almost deafening. Though underneath, there had been another sound, one that was all too familiar to her ears. The rumbling thunder made her ribcage tremble, but that was not what increased her heart beat. For a moment, Sonia felt a definite unease. Reaching next to her, she pulled the lamp string on the chair side table, casting a warm glow across the small entrance room.

"Mreowr?" Mr. Kim Kims meowed crankily. He did not enjoy storms, and at 14 years old, the old tom was not in any such mood for Sonia to be up and about. A change in any of his routine wasn't welcome.

Ignoring the cantankerous meow of her cat, the old thing stood up slowly, cracking her back, and wriggling her toes, as they had fallen asleep as well. With a shaky sigh, Sonia grabbed her walker.

Just as she stood up however, a heart stopping crash careened through the house.

Sonia's hand flew to her chest, clutching at her heart, which was racing. Blood pounded in her ears, yet, did nothing to stop the sounds that followed from reaching them.

The crash was followed by an odd noise, similar to a chittering. Like the half sobbing laughter of a very small child bastarized with the melody of a cricket. It was almost lost to the thrum of the rain.

Sonia paled. The sounds originated from that back room. The guest room that faced the bayou. Shaking slightly, she summoned her courage. Waddling across the room slowly, she reached her old fire place, and reached for a long oak box over the mantle.

"Kree…heheehee…heehee..hee.." The sound drifted through the house. Reaching a peak and then fading off. "Kreeehee…"

Mr. Kim Kims was no longer irked that his schedual was being thrown off. In fact the cat did not even seem to care about the storm any longer. He sat perfectly still in such a pose that you might find a black cat on a Halloween gift card. Back arched, his hackles and tail bristled to its fullest extent. His dull moss coloured eyes opened wide. Unblinking. His gaze stayed upon the door at the end of the hall from the main room.

Sonia fumbled with the Oak box on her mantle, trying to steady herself while trying to stay balanced upon the handles of her walker. Finally managing to get the box open, she brandished her hopeful saving grace. A Winchester. Three and a half feet of double barreled cold steel. She grabbed for her bullet box and successfully opened the chamber, the barrel just touching the floor. Fixing in the bullets snugley in their proper nesting place, she snapped the barrel to its proper position with a grace that could only suggest repetition.

"Kreeeheeee….heeehhhhhHHH" The sound wavered through the house. Less tentative.

Mr. Kim Kims hissed.

Sonia walked slowly and steadily down the hall. Her Winchester firmly in her grasp. The walker left behind. Fear had rendered her rheumatism forgotten. Rain beat a wild rhythm above her head, wind gusting debris into the side of the house. Yet, the storm mattered not.

The main room lamp cast a dull glow against her side. Her shadow seemed to grow longer the further she travelled down the hall. Each rotten floorboard creaked dully beneath her.

"….Kreeeeheeehhhh" The chittering seemed to leak out from under the door. From its gaps in the frame. From its very grains.

She could feel the blood, her life itself, move through her veins with each pump of her heart. Sonia neared the door, her pulse pounding. She knew what was there. What could become of her. That door was perhaps her saving grace. Just as she reached it, however, the sounds stopped completely.

Her hand sat at the doorknob for a moment before Sonia decided that it would be unwise to open it just yet. As quietly as she could, Sonia strained foreward till her ear almost touched the door. She was correct in doing so.

While the whine had stopped, the tell tale signs of unwanted guests remained. Something on the other side of the door was breathing. A deperate, shallow, wet breath as if whoever was breathing had fluid in their lungs.

A huge bolt of lightning lit up the house like a strobe for a moment. Sonia looked down quickly, and sure enough, two shadows came from under the door. Two shadows just the width apart of feet. A thin scratching sound could be heard as if whatever was on the other side of the door was trailing a blade over the grains.

"hkreeeee…" A thin whine transpired through the door.

A bead of sweat ran down Sonia's face.

Suddenly, whatever was behind the door let out a slight whimper. Sonia pressed har ear upon the wood grains, listening.

As the old woman did so, the door exploded outwardl; not a second between, a bolt of lightning struck the house. The bulb in the living room lamp shattered, pitching the entire house into darkness.

Sonia felt as if the electric shock had pulsed momentarily through her as well. For just a moment, she had felt a horrible pain in her skull, being air born, and the next laying in a crumpled heap at the opposite end of the hall. She stifled a moan and sat up slowly, a few ribs felt broken, as was her hip. Eyes, straining at the black, she felt around her for her shotgun. However, her eyes were trained to the end of the hall. That room facing the bayou.

"Kreeeeheee…" The sound scratched its way from the doorway obscured in darkness.

Lightning flashed, and her eyes were immediately drawn to a figure silhouetted in what remained of the broken door frame.

Blackness engulfed the home again as thunder roared. A creak sounded at the end of the hall, mixing eerily with the whistling of wind in the glassless windows. A slow step. Followed by another, and another.

"N-no…" Sonia felt around for her Winchester in a panic, taking her eyes off the end of the hall. "NO!" Her body hurt like fire, shattered bones burning like live coals under her skin. Unable to locate it in the darkness, she scrambled backward in agony, her useless and broken left leg dragging behind her. Her back found the door frame.

That breathing again. Slow. Ragged. Filled with fluid. A low whine started. It moved closer to Sonia in time with the steps.

Mr. Kim Kims swept across the main room, and stood beside Sonia, still bristled and growling.

Sonia reached for the door handle behind her and turned it quickly. Swinging the door open as fast as she could, she grabber the cat and scooted backwards into the room, biting her lip to keep from crying out. She reached forward, to close the door, her hip and side screaming in agony, when a whiff of hot, rancid air danced across her face. She froze in place.

The chitter started again. Not six inches from her. "KreeeheeeheeeeeeEEEHEEEEEEEEE" The chitter rose to a noise akin to a shriek.

Warm vapours ghosted onto Sonia's face like hot mist, her ears rang. The shriek hurt like hell, but still she herself made not a sound, she would use that moment of intense noise to move unheard. Moving as soundlessly as she could in the blackness, she moved backwards yet again, away from the open doorway. Dragging herself across the floor, she pulled herself underneath a large victorian bureau. From under the wooden structure, she could see nothing but the bottom six inches of the room.

Lightning flashed again, illuminating the room fully for but a moment with its cold, blue light.

The two knarled feet that were now firmly planted in the middle of the room, were viewable for but a moment in the flash. The chittering, still omnipresent was at a tolerable level, barely decipherable over the pounding rain and howling wind.

Tears flowed down Sonia's face. 'Please…' she thought…'please no.' The chittering moved about the room. Drifting closer at times and farther at others from her hiding spot. It felt like an eternity. Her heart pounded in her chest, sending painful spurts of blood through the veins in her neck, making her head throb.

The chittering stopped.

Above the roar of the hurricane, Sonia could not discern its breath. She didn't know where it was. The darkness seemed to stir up patterns within itself, to show where it _could_ be. Oh god. She couldn't see it. Couldn't see it. The thought gibbered itself into her mind lacing her with an age old human fear. A fear of the human animal, not man: 'Alone. Exposed. Wounded in the darkness. Not knowing where or when. Who or what. I'm afraid…so afraid… afraid because I'm going to die.'

"ARGH! She could at least have put some damn gravel down!" Iruka steadied the wheel of the car.

Old Sonia's driveway was difficult, to say the least, to navigate. Actually, driveway probably wasn't the best term for it. The dirt trail stretched a good three miles away from the main road. In the rain, it had mostly become a muddy river. It petered along the edges of the bayou, sometimes even forming a bridge across narrow lagoons. It was easily fifteen feet wide at its widest and 7 at its most narrow, easily drivable. In nice weather.

In high summer, it was a beautiful sight. Many of old Ms. Uzumaki's neighbors loved the old trail. Before she'd moved in they had travelled the back roads of the plantation in order to walk along it. It was old as anyone around could remember, and children would always play along it. But as soon as old Uzumaki moved in, that changed.

That woman would brandish a shotgun at anything that moved on her property. She'd shoot first and ask questions later. At first, some teens had thought this to be all in jest, or at least not a real threat. They'd snuck up the trail, all the way to the old slave cabin she lived in on the outskirts of the plantation. Their plan was to give the old thing a jolt.

Their leader, a strapping young and high spirited boy took a large mudclod and had hurled it at a window, intending to leave a large splotch for her to be annoyed at. The group was shocked to find that the mudclod sailed right through and had splattered all over the old thing, who had been napping in a rocking chair. There was no glass or screen of any kind in her window. Weirdo.

Old Ms. Uzumaki was up in a flash. She'd had the shot gun by her rocker and, came out of that cabin screaming at them at the top of her lungs.

The teens had immediately turned tail and ran. But that didn't save their leader. A loud crack had issued from that shotgun, and a flurry of buckshot hit him right in the behind. He'd been the closest, and he'd paid the price.

She'd claimed self defense, against assault by "unruly and vicious thugs" in the court. She was aquitted of any charges, and the teens involved had been issued community service. At least, that was the local story.

Dr. Gordon agreed to most of it, but, he still had hope for the old thing.

Iruka sighed, he hoped that Dr. Gordon was right, he REALLY didn't want to have to deal with a shotgun in his face for a welcome. Now wasn't the time for such tomfoolery. Naruto was in bad shape.

The huge old plantation home came into view through the ever thickening sheets of rain. What a sight to behold, even old and in disrepair. It stood at a daunting three stories high, a magnificent porch swept around the entire front side. Where regular lattice would have been, gorgeous, hand carved leaves danced about along vines that connected wooden beams with their decorative metal supports. The front windows alone were each a good eight feet high and looked to be just as functional as doors. It had an air of aristocracy, as had the Gentleman that had built it, Monsieur Jean-Pierre Le Noir, a wealthy Frenchman of the 18th century.

However, it was not the estate's beauty that prompted joy in the man. "Thank God." The car grudgingly slid up to the once pristine estate. Turning back to look at Naruto, Iruka opened the door of the car. "Naruto."

Naruto looked up. His head wasn't spinning so badly, and his eyes were focusing easier. "Mmmyeah?" His tongue felt thick, too big for his mouth.

"I'm going to get the key, I'll be right back, ok?"

"..'aight then." Naruto watched as Iruka ran through the gale and looked under many of the potted plants on the sprawling veranda. When he pumped his fist into the air with glee, Naruto knew that he'd found the key. It felt like he'd only blinked and Iruka was in front of him again.

"I guess…we can go in now…?" He asked.

"Yes. I unlocked the door, the house is secure. I think your Grandmother is staying in a cabin on the edge of the estate."

Naruto only looked at him dumbly

"So…we will just check on her tomarrow. I'm concerned about you right now."

"Ok…" Naruto didn't really want to think about it. He didn't want to think about anything. "Hey, hey now!...stop that…" He was aware that he was being picked up. Rain splattered on his face and a bolt of lightning made his pupils shrink so fast that his head spun yet again.

"Sorry, bud, but you can't walk a lick right now." Iruka grunted.

"I…can!" Naruto began wriggling to the point that if Iruka didn't put him down, they'd both fall over. He was reluctantly placed on the ground. "Just let me lean on you, I jus'…can't balance too well, 'k?"

Iruka looked at his stubborn and slightly unfocused eyes in the lightning flash that accompanied his statement. He couldn't help but laugh along with the rumbling thunder at Naruto's ludicrous tenacity. "All right!" He said. Giggling with exasperation and exhaustion. "I give up, Naruto. I'll just help you walk up the steps. Then we'll go from there"

Naruto half grinned. His pointy canines glinting in the lighting's flares. "Mmk, Iruka…lets…lets do this." He grabbed Iruka around the shoulder, and leaned on him as his legs and feet, barely under his control, teetered up the front porch stairs.

After what felt like years, they'd made it to the top. Iruka, holding Naruto up with his left shoulder, fumbled the old skeleton key for a moment before griding it into the lock and forcing the old gears to turn. It was now or never. They needed to get out of this damn hurricane.

: 3

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note continued**

A single tear rolls down my cheek. So. Other pairings. NEED IDEAS. Who do YOU like? Because, I want my boys to be with others, too, and others with others, etc. This story is WEIRD.

_**SASUNARU corner**_

Sasuke:…that's all? I didn't even have a line. Not one spoken word.

Naruto:…hehe.

Sasuke: Whats so goddamn, funny, huh?

Naruto: Language! You are s'posed to be the classy one.

Sasuke:…I feel so dirty.


End file.
